In the age of kings and sages, Vasu, the righteous monarch, performed the grand festival of Indra with such splendour that the Lord of Heaven himself descended in joy. Indra, gratified by his devotion, bestowed upon him a celestial chariot capable of soaring across the skies. From that day, the king often traversed the realms of air and earned the name Uparichara Vasu. By the grace of Indra, sons were born to him—Bruhadratha, Manivahana, Soubala, Yadu, and Rajanya—each destined to rule separate kingdoms and expand his glorious lineage. His race flourished, rich in fame, power, and virtue.
In his domain flowed the sacred river Sukthimathi, whose path was blocked by the mighty mountain Kolahala. The river, endowed with life and voice, complained of the mountain’s oppression. Vasu, hearing her plight, struck Kolahala away with his foot, freeing her course. In gratitude, the river offered her children—Vasupada and Girika—to the king. Vasupada was made chief of his armies, while Girika became his queen.
Once, when Girika was with child, she desired wild food from the forest. Vasu, journeying there, was overcome with thoughts of her delicate beauty. His passion overflowed, and his seed, blessed with celestial potency, fell into the waters of the Yamuna. There it was swallowed by Adrika, a nymph cursed to live as a fish. In time, fishermen caught the fish, and when it was cut open, a boy and girl were found within. At that moment, Adrika was freed from her curse and ascended to heaven. The boy grew into Matsyaraja, a renowned ruler, while the girl was reared by the chief of fishermen.
This maiden, radiant with lotus-like eyes and a moonlike face, was called Matsyagandhi. Daily, she ferried boats across the Yamuna under her foster father’s guidance. Her beauty and gentle demeanour caught the eye of the sage Parashara, grandson of Vasistha and son of Shakti, who, though a master of austerities and self-restraint, was at once seized by desire. Through his vision, he discerned her divine origin and spoke openly of his attraction, confessing that even sages, though victorious over the senses, might falter in solitary moments.
Fearful of rejection and the power of his wrath, Matsyagandhi pleaded her unworthiness, saying she bore the odor of fish and dreaded dishonour before her father. Sage Parasara, moved by her purity of thought, reassured her: by his ascetic power her virginity would remain untouched. Then he blessed her with a divine fragrance that would pervade a whole yojana, wherefore she became known as Yojanagandhi. Clad in celestial radiance, she yielded to the sage, and from their union was born a son of surpassing brilliance—Krishna Dwaipayana, later renowned as Vyasa.
Dark in hue, rich in wisdom, he was raised by his mother near the Yamuna, and grew in meditation, wearing matted locks, deer-skin, and holding staff and water-pot. To his mother, he promised eternal presence whenever she remembered him. Vyasa, graced by Brahma and strengthened by Parasara’s blessing, divided the Vedas, composed the Brahmasutras and eighteen Puranas, and wove the mighty Mahabharata, called the Fifth Veda.
The great war he narrated was no common strife: gods, demons, sages, Gandharvas, and men incarnated upon earth to play their parts. Beings like Bhishma and Drona bore qualities too vast for mortal words. To recount them fully would take centuries. Yet Vyasa revealed to Janamejaya, through the lips of Vaisampayana, how the burden of earth had grown unbearable with mercenary clans and kings. The gods and demons, by divine ordinance, took human form as Pandavas and Kauravas, friends and foes alike, to bring balance through the Mahabharata war.
Thus did the sage recount the origins of creation: Brahma’s mind-born sons—Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu—gave birth to progenitors of gods, demons, birds, beasts, Gandharvas, and serpents. From Kashyapa and his many wives came Adityas, Daityas, Danavas, Nagas, and Garuda. From Daksha’s daughters sprang countless races, each filling the world with life and diversity. Vishvakarma, son of Prabhasa, became the divine architect of the gods. From Bhrigu came Sukra, preceptor of the Asuras, and from his line, Jamadagni and Parashurama, the axe-wielding incarnation of Vishnu. From Surabhi issued cattle and horses, from Tamra the birds of the air, from Simhika Rahu, from Vinata the mighty Garuda. Thus, the tapestry of creation spread wide—gods, demons, men, and all creatures of earth, sky, and sea.
In this manner, the Mahabharata reveals not merely a tale of war but the very order of the universe: how dharma is preserved, how burdens are lifted, and how creation itself flows from the will of the Divine, shaping destiny across ages.
